Members can also sign up for FranklinCovey’s 7 Habits Coach 10-episode webcast series designed to help navigate real problems in challenging times. The series will be delivered daily for 10 days to help you:

• Focus on what you can influence when there is a lot out of your control.
• Get the skills to prioritize in the midst of overwhelming outside forces.
• Apply timeless principles to preserve relationships with family, friends and colleagues in times of stress.

   SPEAKER INFO

Saied Alavi has worked many different roles at Marek, one of the nation’s leading interior finish contractors, over the last 41 years. He spent over 20 years in his role as director of operations and managing director, supporting recruitment and training of new talent for the office, and field positions. His goal has been to recruit the right people, train them well and help them replace you.

Lorri H. Grayson, founder and partner of GGA Construction, in Middletown, Delaware, is the 2023 Mid-Atlantic region vice chair of Associated Builders and Contractors. Grayson has been active in the ABC Delaware Chapter since 2007 and served as chair of its board of directors in 2015. Since founding GGA Construction, Grayson has led her company to specialize in institutional, hospitality, medical and corporate office, mixed-use and multifamily housing projects.

Karen Say-Valadez is the CEO of Saybr Contractors Inc., which she founded from her home in 1997, as an environmental construction company specializing in commercial and industrial fueling systems and environmental remediation. Since then, Saybr has grown into a $30 million, full-service general contractor with experience performing vertical and horizontal construction throughout the Pacific Northwest.

   MODERATOR INFO

Michael D. Bellaman has served as president and chief executive officer of Associated Builders and Contractors, a national trade association representing more than 22,000 members from 68 chapters across the United States, since 2011. In his role, Bellaman leverages the merit shop philosophy to help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work.

   SPEAKERS INFO

Indria Hollingsworth is the south-central regional senior diversity, equity and inclusion manager for JE Dunn Construction. In this role, she supports offices in Austin, Texas, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, advocating for equity in the marketplace, workplace and workforce. Hollingsworth actively promotes JE Dunn through participation in industry events and demonstrates a passion for the industry.

Yvette N. Stevens, P.E., PMP is vice president, director of economic inclusion at Gilbane Building Co., a global construction and facilities management firm. In this enterprise leadership role, she leads Gilbane’s corporate economic inclusion strategies, including its industry-leading commitment to award $4 billion to minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses, as well as Disadvantaged and LGBT Business Enterprises, over a five-year horizon.

Calvin E. Williams is founder and CEO of Construction Contracting Services Inc., a general contracting firm that specializes in vertical construction, provides construction consulting and performs construction advisory services. Formerly, Williams was a project manager with Walsh Construction, one of Chicago’s largest and most respected general contracting, construction management and design-build firms. His experience in commercial construction is broad and varied, and his projects span across all sectors from commercial, local and state government to higher education.

   MODERATOR INFO

Brad Lewis, MCA, has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry with Hensel Phelps. He started as a field engineer and working his way up to a superintendent position, where he learned the importance of fostering relationships with owners, trade partners, community leaders and vendors to enhance project and community initiatives. Lewis is the chair of the ABC Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee, which he has served on for eight years.

   SPEAKERS INFO

Kevin Sell is CVO of United Group Services, a Cincinnati industrial construction firm that works throughout the country. He also provides corporate oversight for Elite Welding Academy, Core Crew, PMS and Innovative Mechanical Services. In addition, Sell serves as a U.S. Department of Labor special government employee.

Anita Woolley Nelson is chief strategy officer for Skanska USA Building, a leading construction firm in the United States. With over 20 years in the industry and exceptional knowledge of the construction market and associated sectors, she collaborates with leaders across the company to identify, develop and implement strategic and operational initiatives that ensure the health, resiliency and sustainability of the business.

Yasmeen Tonnos has focused her career on culture transformation, leadership development and supporting organizations through change management. Tonnos is an Ernst & Young alumni and a certified coach with over 12 years of experience in driving human change. She currently serves as an industry culture strategist for Procore Technologies, supporting the conversation around culture change in the construction industry.

   MODERATOR INFO

Sasha Reed is known industrywide as a “conversation facilitator” with a combined 20-plus years of experience in construction and technology. Reed has hosted roundtables, panel discussions and podcasts, while creating platforms to spark meaningful conversations across the globe. As senior director of strategic business development, she focuses on partnerships that maximize Procore’s impact on the construction industry, beyond product development.

   SPEAKERS INFO

Aaron Haunhorst is president of ECI Construction Services. He has been serving the construction industry and multiple ABC chapters for over 20 years. Haunhorst has also sponsored and supported multiple pilot/veteran programs for ABC apprenticeship training since 2013. He is presently housing the current cohort for the Community Builders program in the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, area.

Norman Ruano, deputy director of the Office of Illinois Works at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, oversees a new portfolio of programs focused on bringing equity and inclusion to the state’s construction industry and the trades. He has over 20 years of experience in the creation and implementation of construction workforce development programs for underserved community members and training programs for minority-, women- and veteran-owned construction businesses.

Andrew J. Wells, Chicago Urban League, is an entrepreneur, executive, author, publisher and thought leader. He created and led several workforce, sales and marketing, fundraising, and business development projects for numerous for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Wells’ most notable characteristics are empowering and advocating for others. He continues to help thousands of youth and adults achieve personal growth and economic advancement by providing access to education, mentoring and employment and training.

Marlon Mitchell is the founding executive director of FirstFollowers reentry program, in Champaign, Illinois. He is also a Ph.D. candidate in education at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Before embarking on his doctorate journey, Mitchell worked 17 years in the electrical field. Mitchell’s passion for teaching and learning inspired him to develop a workforce development pre-apprenticeship program called GoMAD, or Go Make a Difference.

   MODERATOR INFO

Alicia Martin is president and CEO of ABC Illinois. Before Martin joined ABC Illinois in 2007 as vice president of membership and business development, she gained experience working for the State of Illinois, providing constituent support and as a juvenile probation officer/youth advocate in Morgan County, Illinois.

   SPEAKERS INFO

Maria Davidson is CEO and founder of Kojo, construction’s leading materials management software. Before Kojo, she helped build 8VC, a venture fund with over $3.5 billion in assets under management and spent time as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Davidson has been selected to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Female Founders.

Chris Martinez is president of Central Electric. He and his brother bought Central Electric from their parents almost 10 years ago. When Martinez joined the company, there was a team of seven. Today, they boast a team of over 150 employees. He is most passionate about growing people; Central Electric is constantly working on team engagement and has an over 97% retention rate.

   Speaker Bios:

Michael Dickran boasts an impressive career spanning over a decade in the construction industry. He’s been a driving force for thousands of contractors, helping them simplify their time collection and operational processes. With a knack for blending tech know-how with exceptional customer service, Dickran is the go-to guy for construction firms looking to streamline their operations and boost their success.

Hugo Ramirez is a seasoned Customer Success Specialist at ExakTime, specializing in Post Onboarding check-ins and Retention strategies. With a wealth of knowledge, he serves as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for ExakTime, ensuring optimal client experiences and sustained satisfaction.

   Moderator Information:

Patrick Scarpati is director of construction technology and innovation for Associated Builders and Contractors. In this role, Scarpati provides construction technology education to all members and chapters and researches current and future potential trends. As a licensed HVAC-R journeyperson by trade, Scarpati has led various construction technology initiatives with a general contractor and trade partner where he ensured collaboration, purpose and process were the keys to successful implementation.

   Speaker Bios:

Anirban Basu is chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm in Baltimore. He is chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010. His radio show can be heard weekdays on WYPR, 88.1 FM Baltimore. He teaches History of Economic Thought at Goucher College as their Distinguished Economist in Residence.

   Speaker Bios:

Nick Decker is the practice leader for construction at Egnyte. He brings experience in the construction technology and innovation space from his time at Bluebeam and Dusty Robotics. Decker originally comes from the construction and engineering industry.

An expert in cybersecurity and network infrastructure, Nick Espinosa has consulted with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. In 2015, he launched Security Fanatics, dedicated to designing custom cyberdefense strategies for medium to large-scale enterprise corporations. Espinosa is a member of the Forbes Technology Council, a TEDx speaker and co-author of the bestselling book “Easy Prey.”

   Moderator Information:

Matthew Abeles is vice president of construction technology and innovation for Associated Builders and Contractors. In this role, Abeles spearheads efforts to integrate construction technology and innovation into all aspects of ABC’s strategic initiatives, included but not limited to total human health, industry-leading safety and workforce development. His team provides ABC members with the annual Tech Report, Tech Marketplace and Tech Alliance.